The dramatic 24 hours that sealed Guehi and Glasner's futures

 

Losing your manager and captain in the same day are two heavy blows that will require time to recover from.

No sooner had Manchester City struck an initial £20m deal to sign Crystal Palace's captain Marc Guehi was head coach Oliver Glasner confirming he would be leaving Selhurst Park at the end of the season.

Neither development comes as a shock. BBC Sport revealed that City had accelerated their move for Guehi last Monday in light of Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias suffering injuries.

On Thursday night, following talks between City and Palace, the England defender's move to Etihad Stadium was agreed in principle.

Even if City had failed in their pursuit to sign Guehi this month, the centre-back's contract expires in June and he was leaving regardless.

Similarly, with Glasner, while his announcement on Friday was unexpected, the fact he has decided to leave Selhurst Park is far from unanticipated.

Glasner said he had communicated his decision to chairman Steve Parish in October, the same month BBC Sport reported that Palace's hopes of keeping him beyond this season were remote at best.

The pair, according to Glasner, had made a pact to keep the news a secret until they both decided to make their parting public.

That did not prevent speculation over Glasner, whose decision to leave Palace had become one of the worst kept secrets in English football.

Did the club's decision to sell Guehi to City prove the catalyst behind Glasner's surprising admission in his weekly press conference? Sources have indicated it was a factor.

But in many ways, the motivation behind Glasner's bombshell media briefing, in which he also admitted the club are open to selling star striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, is neither here nor there for Palace.

The real narrative for them is preparing for life without their most successful manager and captain in history.